Homer thwarts strong pitching
Anderson gets quality start
A series that had seen plenty of offense over its first three games came to a close with an unexpected pitchers' duel Thursday afternoon at Miller Park.
The Milwaukee Brewers got a strong six innings from starter Chase Anderson and the Colorado Rockies a solid five innings from Antonio Senzatela, who was making his major-league debut.
In the end it was one mistake by Neftali Feliz that wound up making the difference, as Nolan Arenado homered three pitches into the ninth inning to beat the Brewers, 2-1.
The game got off to a tough start for the Brewers, with centerfielder Keon Broxton having to leave the game in the second inning after being beaned by Senzatela.
The 93-mph fastball hit Broxton near his face, but it appeared that a protective face flap that he began using in spring training saved him from serious harm. Broxton remained down for a couple minutes, with athletic trainer Dan Wright tending to a cut to his nose, before he headed off the field under his own power.
Broxton suffered a small nasal fracture and is day to day.
Colorado grabbed the lead in the third when exBrewer Mark Reynolds went down and sent a 91mph fastball from Anderson just over the wall in right-center to make it 1-0.
It was the lone mistake on the afternoon by the right-hander, whose sixinning outing marked a season high for the Brewers. He allowed three hits and walked two to go along with four strikeouts.
Senzatela, meanwhile, looked like anything but a pitcher who’d pitched just seven games above A-ball coming into the season.
He induced a 4-6-3 double-play grounder from Domingo Santana to get out of a bases-loaded, oneout situation in the first inning, and then allowed only three baserunners without a hit over his final four innings. Senzatela also struck out six.
The Brewers finally got onto the board in the seventh, when Kirk Nieuwenhuis — in the game as Broxton's replacement — homered to right-center to tie the game at 1-1.
The deadlock lasted into the ninth, when Arenado launched an 0-2 pitch from Feliz out to left-center.
Ryan Braun pinch hit with two outs in the ninth and flied out to deep right against Rockies closer Greg Holland as the Brewers dropped their first series of the season. BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
Including Wednesday, Nieuwenhuis had struck out four straight times before hitting his game-tying homer Thursday. The round-tripper was his first hit of the season, and perhaps not surprisingly it came at Miller Park, where he hit 11 of his 13 homers a year ago.
Reynolds tortured his former mates in the series, hitting two homers, doubling three times and driving in six runs. He also played some good defense at first base, including robbing Jett Bandy of a hit Thursday with a diving stab of a line drive. STAT SHEET
With 938 career RBI, Braun needs six more to tie Cecil Cooper for second place on the franchise's all-time list. Braun also has 646 extra-base hits, leaving him five shy of tying Paul Molitor for second place on the alltime list.
Shortstop Orlando Arcia has a 27-game errorless streak that dates back to last Sept. 5. He had the day off Thursday, with Hernán Pérez taking his place. TAKEAWAY
Feliz is an awfully hard thrower, as evidenced by his Brewers debut Wednesday when he topped out at 99 mph. But even at those velocities, if the ball is left up where a hitter can go get it, the results can be costly. Such was the case Thursday, when Arenado – one of the top five players in baseball — crushed a 97-mph fastball in an 0-2 count out to left-center for the game-clinching homer. RECORD This year: 1-3 Last year: 2-2 ATTENDANCE Thursday: 23,828 This year: 110,448 (27,612 avg.)
Last year: 118,639 (29,660 avg.) NEXT GAME
Friday: Cubs at Brewers, 7:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Jimmy Nelson vs. Chicago LHP Brett Anderson. TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: 620-AM.